May 28, 2014

For the next few days, I will be away from my computer (for the most part), attending Book Expo America—the "#1 Book & Author Event in the U.S"—in New York City. I'm going with two other FYA ladies, and our schedule is shaping up to be three days filled with books, authors and fun. I'm really excited!

That said, I will not be posting Nerd News this week, but I'll be keeping an eye on the action. I also have a double Haiku Revieu scheduled for Friday, so hopefully that will help tide you over until I can get back into routine.

Of course, if you're interested in following along with the fun—I'm sure to be posting photos to social media.

May 20, 2014

I think I've said this before, but I love me some (well done) street art. I love the anonymity, the passion, the uniqueness of the art form. I love the little bit of rebel that comes along with it, too. Sure, it's often illegal ... but when street artists are beautifying bland and boring places, I see it as a favor to those who see it rather than a slight against those who own whatever has been painted (or stickered or ...) on.

When I ran across an article on Dangerdust recently, I felt a similar appeal. It's not street art, but it's something close.

Dangerdust is an anonymous art duo who create works of art on chalkboards at Columbus College of Art and Design. According to an interview with the duo, "The two complete each masterpiece in one fell swoop (which can take up to 11 hours), usually working on Sunday or Monday nights in a vacant classroom. They choose a quote from a list compiled from Google searches and suggestions from friends, draw up a rough sketch, and then get to work using regular chalk (usually from the dollar store, they joked)."

May 13, 2014

To date, I've read 30 books this year. That's no small feat, but I'm 5 books (!) behind schedule if I want to make it to 100 books this year. Goodreads counts short stories as "books," which is kind of cheating ... but if I only read a few, that's not hurting anyone, right? I'll have to put an asterisk on the 100* count if I go that route. I'm not a total cheater.

Or, you know, I could just give up sleep entirely.

Below are the books I read in March and April. My favorites? Always Emily, The Crane Wife, Dorothy Must Die, Liv, Forever and Remnants: Season of Wonder. All excellent books, and only three of them are series starters.

Many of these I read for FYA. If you'd like to read my reviews, you can do so by clicking on these links:

May 12, 2014

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD. Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Spider-Man, at least, not the Spider-Man that's portrayed in the movies. I adored the Spider-Man: The Animated Series that ran in the mid-90s; Peter Parker is a fantastic character; and I think there are some great stories and villains in the series. The movies just don't ever seem to do the characters or the stories justice. The latest edition of the Spider-Man film franchise wasn't awful, however, and I actually liked it a bit more than it's predecessor. (Here's how I felt about The Amazing Spider-Man, in case you're curious.)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 catches up with Peter Parker and Gwen Stacey as they graduate from high school and transition into college. Peter's still struggling with Gwen's father's death, and splitting his time between being Peter and being Spider-Man. Of course, anywhere Spidey goes, there are bound to be villains—in this movie he comes face to face with the main bad, Electro, and has briefer run-ins with the Rhino and the Green Goblin.

That seems like a lot of villains. Going in to the movie, I was worried that it would turn into another Spider-Man 3, but the focus was more on Electro and less on the Rhino and Green Goblin. The movie served as sort of an origin story for those two, and I'm sure they'll show up in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 (or the Sinister Six movie that's now in the works). The balance was actually quite good.

Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone were again great as Peter and Gwen. They have such excellent chemistry, which isn't really surprising. They are ADORABLE in real life. Dane DeHaan and his wacky hair made a great Harry Osborn. Sally Field is such a perfect Aunt May. Even Jamie Fox was good in the Electro role. I am not a fan of the Rhino, though. Something about the character just grosses me out. And I usually like Paul Giamotti. Also: Peter would not listen to Phillip Phillips.

And although I wasn't surprised by the ending—I mean, the Internet was abuzz with it for months before the movie came out—I'm going to miss Emma. And I really hope they cast someone other than Shailene Woodley in the Mary Jane role before the third movie in the series. She just doesn't seem right for it at all. (White text, #becausespoilers.)

I think that, if you go into seeing this movie without too high of expectations, you'll enjoy it.

May 07, 2014

Last week, I got a Facebook message from "Clark Gregg's assistant Stephanie" asking if I'd be amenable to having my "Coulson is My Homeboy" T-shirt design featured in a segment of the Queen Latifah show. Clark Gregg would be making an appearance on the show, and they wanted to talk about some of the fan art that was created in support of the character and the #CoulsonLives movement. I didn't fully believe that she was who she said she was—sorry Stephanie!—but I emailed her because I wasn't going to ignore such an opportunity just because I was skeptical.

Long story short, Long story short: I emailed Stephanie, asked her for more information, gave her some of my information and the next day got an email from an assistant producer with the Queen Latifah show with a media release attached for me to sign. There was no guarantee that it would make it on to the show, but I was excited.

I set my DVR for 4 p.m. yesterday and promptly forgot all about it until I got home and Colt noticed it was recorded. I actually got nervous as we watched Clark come on set and talk with Queen Latifah. I got even more nervous when she started talking about fan art.

And then, BAM, "Coulson is My Homeboy" popped up on screen.

Total flail moment, you guys.

They didn't actually talk about the piece, and it was only on screen for a matter of seconds, but it was one of only two pieces shown, so I feel super proud of the whole situation. And the best part is: Stephanie mentioned, while we were emailing, that Clark is the one who told the show's producers about it! I die.

May 04, 2014

In honor of Star Wars Day (May the 4th ... get it?), I curated a collection of some of the Internet's coolest Star Wars merch.

What did I find that's totally lust-worthy?

1 | A useful set of kitchen geekery. (measuring set)
2 | Something for the lovers. (rings)
3 | A way to keep Han close at hand foot. (rugs)
4 | A little confidence booster (There is no try!) (hoodie)
5 | An awesome accessory. (ring)
6 | Another way to show your true feelings. (towels)

May 02, 2014

(If you'd like to download this page of the 2014 Man Calendar for personal use, just click on the image and it'll open in a new window. You can then right/control click and save it. Each page should print at 6"x9".)